A discussion on salmon fishing in the American River will be the final installment in the Nimbus Hatchery speaker series at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the hatchery’s Visitor’s Center, 2001 Nimbus Road, in Rancho Cordova.
Justin Cisneros, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife and an avid fisherman, will share tips for successful salmon fishing, including gear, locations and methods.
Department senior environmental scientists Rob Titus and Mike Healey will talk about the state of the salmon run in the American River and how the department is managing it. Wildlife officer Alan Weingarten will talk about salmon fishing regulations.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will host the fourth installment of its speaker series with a presentation on Aquatic Invasive Species in the American River at 7 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Nimbus Hatchery Visitor Center, 2001 Nimbus Road, in Rancho Cordova.
Preregistration is not required.
The presentation is part of a program highlighting California Invasive Species Action Week Aug. 2-10. Among other activities being offered that week are field tours to check invasive crayfish traps and opportunities to help remove invasive plants on the American River Parkway near the hatchery.
For more information on the speaker series, go to www.facebook.com/NimbusHatchery. For more information on invasive species week, go to dfg.ca.gov/invasives.
As part of a series of discussions presented by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, a presentation the effect on climate change on salmon and steelhead trout in the American River is being held at 7 p.m. July 17 at the Nimbus Hatchery Visitor Center, 2001 Nimbus Road, Rancho Cordova.
Preregistration is not required.
Fisheries Branch Program Manager Kevin Shaffer will review the potential impacts of climate change on salmon and steelhead runs in the American River. Climate Associate Whitney Albright will show the steps the department is taking to reduce the effects of climate change and the actions needed to manage fish runs. Both speakers will take questions from those in attendance.
The final session in the series on Aug. 7 will look at aquatic invasive species.
People have one more week to sign up for a 14-day Epic Sierra Adventures summer trip that’s geared toward high school youth and organized by the American River Conservancy.
The program introduces teens to a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities and teaches minimum impact practices. Trips start in Coloma on the banks of the South Fork American River and end with a three-day backpack trip in Yosemite National Park.
Participants will paddle the American River, Lake Tahoe and Mono Lake and explore the different biomes of the Central Sierra on foot. They also contribute 12-15 hours of volunteer service at different sites visited throughout the adventure.
For more information visit www.epicsierra.org or www.arconservancy.org/epicsierra or call the American River Conservancy at 530-621-1224.
The recreational attractions of the Placer County Water Agency’s Middle Fork American River Project are open for the summer.
The project includes campgrounds at French Meadows and Hell Hole reservoirs, high on the western slope of the Sierra near the headwaters of the American and Rubicon rivers; and other attractions ranging down the Middle Fork American River to Oxbow Reservoir, a popular launching area for whitewater rafters.
The pristine, relatively undiscovered area is reached via Mosquito Ridge Road from Foresthill or Eleven Pines Road from Georgetown. French Meadows is situated 50 miles east of Auburn.
Most of the campgrounds are snowbound in winter and are usually accessible from Memorial Day weekend through early October. PCWA officials said the current drought will result in lower than normal lake levels and flows this summer but that sufficient water is anticipated through Labor Day weekend.
A free 5-mile run along the American River is scheduled for Wednesday evening to mark National Running Day.
The event, part of a coast-to-coast celebration of running, is sponsored by the Sacramento Running Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging people to run.
The run, a 5-mile loop, begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Guy West Bridge and University Avenue in Sacramento. Runners of all abilities are invited to participate.
The public is invited to a free presentation May 3 at Nimbus Hatchery on how California’s drought is affecting salmon and steelhead populations in the American River.
The event is offered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which operates the hatchery, one of five in the Central Valley that produce most of the salmon caught by commercial and recreational anglers in the state.
Rob Titus, a senior environmental scientist at the department, will discuss the state of salmon and steelhead runs and the challenges the drought poses to their survival. He’ll also outline actions the agency is taking to protect these fish and improve their survival. Forest Williams of the Sacramento County Water Agency will then describe ways the public can reduce water use and lessen human impact on the river.
Both speakers will take questions from the audience.
The event begins at 11 a.m. May 3 in the hatchery visitor center. No advance registration is required. The hatchery is at 2001 Nimbus Road in Rancho Cordova.
It’s going to be a beautiful weekend, and you can get out and enjoy the weather while helping the American River Parkway Foundation with its “Spring Clean Up.”
Sacramento County Supervisor Susan Peters says the clean-up is an important activity.
“The annual effort helps maintain the American River Parkway as a sustainable, natural resource for everyone to enjoy,” she said.
It’s not too late to join in tomorrow morning.
“It’s very easy to sign up if you go to the website of the American River Parkway Foundation, it’s ARPF.org,” she said.
More than 300 search and rescue team members from around the state will be in the American River Canyon near Auburn for a mountain rescue team testing on Saturday, March 1.
The Placer County Sheriff Office’s Mountain Rescue Team, which is one of many specialized teams of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue operations, is hosting the California Region Mountain Rescue Association (CRMRA) 2014 Reaccreditation. Teams belonging to the CRMRA are required to recertify annually in one of three disciplines, which include snow and ice, technical rock and search and tracking. This year’s event will be search and tracking.
The reaccreditation will take place in the Auburn State Recreation Area in the American River canyon. The command post will be at the American River Canyon Overlook Park, overlooking the Auburn Dam site. Field teams will be tracking “subjects”, working medical scenarios, doing grid searches, and locating a “missing” aircraft. State Parks has been instrumental in allowing the PCSO Mountain Rescue Team to host the event in their jurisdiction.
Facing the very real possibility of an extremely low American River flow in July, the organizers of the 41st Eppie’s Great Race are considering using Lake Natoma for the paddle portion of the triathlon.
Eppie’s Great Race is scheduled for July 19 this year, and without substantially more rain this season, the American River may have very limited flows by race time.
The race features a 5.8-mile run and 12.5-mile cycle that usually ends with a 6.4-mile paddle down the American River.
